UAE ideal venue for ICC Cricket World Cup, says India's coach Ravi Shastri. Mastermind of India’s victory in Dubai explains the tale behind his team's seventh Asia Cup title triumph.
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00:00My first question to Ravi will be, of course, a big congratulations, and I saw you leaving
00:11with the guys almost at around 1am last night, so was there any time to party?
00:17Of course there's always time to party, because I tell people to enjoy the moment.
00:24And with this team, with the schedule that exists, those moments are very little, because
00:34in two days' time we assemble in Rajkot, so enjoy that moment.
00:40Last night we reached the hotel by 2, but we sure got together and had a good time for
00:45another couple of hours, maybe three hours.
00:48Is it really the enjoyment, or enjoy the moment, that made handle the pressure of this Asia
00:55Cup, especially after coming from England?
00:58I think that is the mantra of the boys, is every game you play, you play to compete,
01:07you play to win, and you bring that kind of intensity into the game.
01:13So a lot of people might have been shocked when they saw India after England, being two
01:18and a half months in England, to pull out the intensity they did right through this
01:23tournament.
01:25And even yesterday, I thought with Bangladesh playing brilliantly, being 120 for no loss,
01:30for our guys to pull it back by saving at least 25-30 runs in the field, was brilliant,
01:37because the conditions, what existed in England and what exists in Dubai is chalk and cheese.
01:43You're coming from 18-19 degrees to suddenly 44-45 degrees, and for guys to throw themselves
01:49the way they did, I'm proud of them.
01:52Right here one question to Ravi, you know, 5 plus 1, 6 matches over a space of 12-13
01:59days, what was the bigger obstacle for the team, was it the rival teams, or was it the
02:06conditions and going on to conquer it?
02:09Very good question, because I would like to say it's a combination of both, but I was
02:13more fearful of the latter, what you said, about the oppressive conditions.
02:20Because we played for two and a half months, you know, we've got about 8 months to go for
02:24the World Cup, we're playing all formats.
02:27In our country you've got to win every game, okay, there's no, you know, they take no prisoners.
02:32You've got to win.
02:34And the fact of the matter is, I want guys on the park.
02:39You know, they're men, you know, they're not machines, you know, you can't just put rocket
02:43fuel, 98 octane, and tell them go out there and play.
02:47You know, they need to recuperate, they need the rest, hence it's become a practice now
02:52for the team management to try and rest players as much as they can.
02:59You know, people think an extra day of practice is going to do wonders, in fact it's counterproductive.
03:05We didn't practice here one day, we came day one, I saw the conditions, I said no practice.
03:11Because it's not about the physical part of it, you're not going to learn cricket in one day.
03:19It's how you rest the mind, so that you get clarity of thought in what you do.
03:26I know there have been people, you know, who'll tom-tom from wherever they want, saying, oh
03:31they've lost a match, you must go and practice, or what are you going to improve in one day?
03:37I'd like to ask you if you would have done it, you know, time and time again.
03:41So you need to have that rest.
03:43You need those guys to give their body a break, their minds a break, to come out and then
03:48play in that fashion.
03:49As you said, one of the hallmarks of your two stints as a coach of the Indian team has
03:55been how you've stood by the entire team, not an individual.
04:00And often, you have ended up getting some flak for it.
04:03I mean, like the way you stood up, I think, after we lost the Cities in England, and you
04:08said that, you know, this is the best team, or this is the best that they've performed
04:12in the last 15 years.
04:14And this is not the first occasion where you have done it.
04:17And then when it comes to defending somebody like Dhoni, I mean, we know he's a different
04:22kettle of fish for his class.
04:24So where does it come from?
04:27It's facts.
04:29I'm not saying anything out of the ordinary.
04:31And first, you know, what you say can be taken out of bounds.
04:38I said this team is having a run as compared to very few teams in the last 15, 20 years,
04:48or probably no team.
04:50I never said this is the, I said this team has the potential to be the best Indian team
04:54ever.
04:57Has the potential.
04:59Having a run.
05:01Now, if you ask me about Indian cricket and the run teams I've had, I've played the game.
05:10I've captained India.
05:12I've been a broadcaster for 23 years.
05:14I've been a cricket manager.
05:16I've been a director, and I've been a coach of the Indian cricket team.
05:20I've sat on many committees of the BCCI.
05:22So no one respects the game more than me, because the game's given me everything.
05:27So when people say I'm disrespectful, they should look themselves in the mirror before
05:32pointing a finger at me.
05:34And if you ask me history of Indian cricket, I'll tell you the years.
05:38How can you forget Ajit's team in 71?
05:42What they did.
05:43Or Myra, Kapil's team, what they did.
05:46Kapil Sunny combination, what they did between 83 and 86.
05:52What Rahul Dravid did with wins in West Indies and England.
05:58And of course what MS did with the World Cup and being the number one team at that time.
06:03This team, already if you look at the last four years, it has the right to compare with
06:08those teams.
06:10And the potential to get better.
06:12That's where I come from.
06:13Now that's, now you're hearing it from the horse's mouth.
06:18It's life.
06:19The question is there.
06:20And as long as you don't change your question, answer will remain the same.
06:24Ravi, is it, you know, your career finished, you know, that this thing and this phase,
06:32you know, how pleasing is it to that carry on that, that kind of a field of being contributing
06:39to Indian cricket as such, in many roles as such?
06:43It's an excellent question.
06:45You know, it's, you always were passionate when you played the game.
06:51But I left the game early.
06:52You know, I could have had another five years.
06:55Yeah, I finished, my last test was at the age of 30.
06:59I don't think, I had played 80 tests at that time.
07:03I don't think anyone in the world had played my age, had played half or more than that,
07:08you know, at that time.
07:09So there was always that burning desire.
07:13You know, it's not that you're missing it.
07:15There's nothing, you know, that's, there's injury, there's nothing you can do about it,
07:19but channelize that passion and energy into another area.
07:24And luckily, television exploded in India.
07:27So I could go and do that.
07:30Then I got the opportunity to be with the team in 2007.
07:34And for me, if you are who you are today, it's because of the game.
07:39And because of the country you represented, and the team you played for.
07:44So you know, you should never forget that.
07:48And I find the goodwill you get in a job like what you're doing now, is far more than anything
07:57else.
07:58You know, it compares as a player at your peak, but this job, the way people look at
08:04you, is different.
08:06You know, at least, they're not, it doesn't matter whether you're going to win or lose
08:10or whatever.
08:11They're saying the fact of the matter is, you know, you're doing the job.
08:16You know, because with this job will come a lot of criticism.
08:20With this job will come a lot of accolades.
08:24You know, so it has a 360 degree element to it, this job.
08:29You know, and it's, you know, there's no place to hide.
08:33There's no skirt you can hide behind here.
08:35You know, you mess up, you screw up, you take it on the chin and move on.
08:40The amount of pressure of media from your playing days to increase, and how do you take
08:47it to the day?
08:48You know, when something happens, Ravi did that.
08:51You know, it must have been England.
08:54How do you take that challenge, you know, and can't sleep at night, or you sleep sound?
09:00See, I sleep absolutely sound because I'm used to my era, where you would have one or
09:05two papers only.
09:07So you pick it up and read it.
09:09So I have time only for that.
09:10I don't have time for anything else.
09:12I might be on Twitter, I might be on Instagram, I only tweet, or I put out a quote.
09:16I don't read anything.
09:18So you know, to hell with what people have to say.
09:21As long as you are confident of what you're doing, and you know that you are giving your
09:26100% to the job you're doing, rest is, I mean, you're not worried at all.
09:35Because if you start worrying about that, then you know, you start messing up a lot
09:39of other things.
09:41So I say ignorance is bliss.
09:44You have played from Sharjah days here, and you saw the atmosphere yesterday, you know,
09:51how has UAE, you know, how has UAE to you, you know, evolved and, you know, something
09:57about, you know, yesterday, there was a packed stadium.
10:01I have, you know, I've been coming here now from 1980.
10:05So that, that's almost 40 years now, right.
10:08And the passion for the game here is unbelievable.
10:13Because you know, all expatriates are mostly Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis.
10:18And they're all part of an Asia Cup, the teams.
10:21And right from the Sharjah days, you know, we'd have full houses.
10:25It was amazing to see now with a stadium as big as this how it was packed.
10:30You know, yes, people would come in more after an hour because of the heat.
10:35But it was jam packed last night, jam packed, all Indian Pakistani games.
10:39And somehow, you get exciting games here.
10:42You know, I've seen that right through the 80s, 90s, whenever cricket's been played,
10:45you get some real exciting games.
10:47And last night was no different.
10:50And I have been a resident, this part of the world for many, many years.
10:53So I've seen the way, you know, the UAE has evolved as a whole.
10:58You know, I feel this to be the sporting hub of Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
11:05Because you have everything happening here.
11:06You know, you've got the tennis, you've got the Formula One, you've got the golf, you've
11:11got the cricket, you've got the IPL, horse racing, power boats, you know, you name it.
11:19And you've been coming here for 38 years, you knew what Dubai was and look at what Dubai
11:24is now.
11:25I mean, you knew what Sheikh Zayed Road was, you see what it is now.
11:28And the expansion, you know, all the way almost up to Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, the way it's changed.
11:34And where I am particularly impressed was because I, my resident visa came out of Ras Al
11:39Khaimah.
11:40So I used to go there often.
11:42I think that place has tremendous potential now, you know, for tourism and industry and
11:47manufacturing, because that it's probably what Dubai was 10 years ago.
11:53So the potential is massive, which will benefit the UAE in general, you know, for you to have
11:58so many spots, you know, and I see a World Cup coming here one day.
12:02I said that to you, yeah, about seven, eight years ago, you'll have big tournaments here.
12:08And this is the perfect place for a World Cup, center of the cricketing world and the
12:12best facilities.
12:13Just the way Ravi spoke so passionately about Dubai and UAE, and also you can make out that
12:20he is very hands on as to how this place has really developed.
12:25Before we wind up, I mean, since we have it, we can't let go without a question on the
12:30World Cup.
12:31I mean, we have about seven months to go, the expectations will once again be huge.
12:37And though I would like to draw a parallel from what the team did here, the conditions
12:41were a bit chalk and cheese, as you say.
12:43Last time under you, the team met the semifinals.
12:46There are still a few, you know, like question marks in the middle order positions, number
12:52four and six.
12:53But overall, where do you want to take the team from here?
12:56I think it's in good space now.
12:58My major worry is injuries.
13:02So you will, you know, you always want to win every game.
13:07But now leading up to the World Cup, you've got to be careful when it comes to resting
13:11your players.
13:12You know, because I didn't like it when I saw Hardik going down the way he did.
13:16You know, he's a key player.
13:17We missed him last night.
13:19You know, but you don't want to see that.
13:21And that is workload.
13:25So going into the World Cup now, the nucleus of the team is pretty much there.
13:31It's an opportunity to identify some more bench strength when it comes into the fast
13:36bowling department.
13:38And like you said, in the middle order.
13:41So it's an opportunity to give people chances in the games coming up against West Indies,
13:48Australia and New Zealand.
13:50You get into a more serious state of mind come Australia and New Zealand, the one days.
13:57You know, because that will be as close a team as you think you will pick for the World Cup.
14:02But till then, you have to take your chances and rotate players around.
14:06You know, otherwise you will not have anyone on the park, you know, the amount of cricket
14:10being played.
14:11And rotate because in our team, we have about four or five players who play all three formats
14:16or maybe more.
14:18So you have to be very careful.
14:20Like, for example, Virat needed this rest.
14:23Again, it was not physically, he's a bull.
14:26You can't keep him out of the ground.
14:28And the thing with Virat is if he plays, then you know the level of intensity he brings.
14:33So it was a case of just mental fatigue, giving him a break, take your mind off the cricket
14:40and then come back fresh.
14:41And we'll have to do that with a lot of other players as well.
14:44You know, like the Bumrahs and the Buwis.
14:46If you have to sustain them and keep them that energetic, you know, come up to the World Cup,
14:52you have to be careful.
14:53There is a talk about a magic relationship between you and Virat.
14:58And what is, you know, how do you maintain, you know, they are superstars, legends,
15:04you know, already into it.
15:05Also with Dhoni.
15:07So this kind of, how do you take the balance?
15:11How do you go ahead with also convincing that you are close to all of them?
15:16So where is that?
15:17That's man management.
15:19It's probably my years in the game has helped.
15:22You know, the experience I've gathered as a player, as a captain, as a broadcaster,
15:28as an administrator in different roles.
15:31That helps.
15:32Plus, like you mentioned, you're not dealing with kids.
15:37You're dealing with millionaires.
15:41You know, so you got to be very smart on how you deal with them.
15:46You know, you got to know where to draw a line.
15:48Yet at the same time, they know where to draw a line with me.
15:52You know, you got to be tough when needed.
15:54And really tough when needed.
15:56When you find someone not pulling up his socks or not adhering to,
16:01you know, what team ethics are or work ethics are,
16:05then you got to be.
16:06But yet at the same time, bottom line is you got to enjoy the game.
16:10This is sport.
16:11I'm not sitting on a desk in front of a computer with my boss telling me
16:16this is what you got to give me by 5 o'clock.
16:18You face it.
16:20I'm out in the open air, button open.
16:23This is to enjoy.
16:24You know, you're watched by 50,000 people.
16:26Get out there and enjoy sport.
16:27You know, sport is to be enjoyed.
16:29So, you know, you can't be like a professor, you know, with them.
16:35Telling them all the time, do this, do that, do that.
16:37Let them enjoy themselves.
16:39So, deadline doesn't matter to you.
16:42Results matter, isn't it?
16:44Absolutely.
16:45I mean, you play to win.
16:47You play to compete.
16:48You play to set standards.
16:50And you, when you're out there, you want the millions of fans who watch the team
16:56to enjoy watching an Indian team play.
16:59So, I'm sure in this tournament, in the Asia Cup,
17:02forget the batting and the bowling, that we see every day.
17:07What the millions would have loved was the way they scrapped on the field while fielding.
17:12Have you set a goal?
17:14Or is there a vision?
17:16You know, that kind of, what do you want to walk off, you know,
17:20and contribute as a coach?
17:22I've always said, my main, this thing is to make sure that
17:27we are consistent across all formats.
17:30We are in the top two.
17:31Across all formats of the game.
17:34As long as I'm there.
17:35And when I took over the job, I remember where we were.
17:39You know, we were 6-5-5 or something like that.
17:42Today we are 1-2-2 or maybe 1-2-3.
17:45But we're always in the top bracket when it comes across to all formats.
17:49And then, on the way, if you win a couple of big events,
17:53like the one last night, or a World Cup,
17:56it'll be the icing on the cake.
17:57Because you're still the number one test team in the world.
18:00So you've achieved that.
18:01Ravi, there's one question which is coming from one of our good friends.
18:06We know about your passion for golf.
18:08I mean, I don't think you'll have time today to hit the course.
18:13But, you know, we hear about these great comeback stories.
18:17Tiger.
18:18Brilliant.
18:19Before you asked me, I was just going to take off.
18:22I was walking with him once.
18:24Here.
18:25And I was a guest of Golfduce.
18:28I was sitting in your box.
18:29And I think it was on the 8th or 9th.
18:32He was walking.
18:33He had just come back from injury.
18:34This was about 3-4 years ago.
18:36When he'd last come here for the Desert Classic.
18:39And I told him.
18:42I said,
18:44You're a champ.
18:46I didn't know why. I have to tell him.
18:47I was walking with him as a fan.
18:49I said, just believe.
18:51You're going nowhere.
18:52You'll be back.
18:54Just believe you will be back.
18:57But unfortunately, the guy has gone through hell with injuries.
19:02Forget anything else.
19:03And injuries which threatened his entire career.
19:08For him to fight all that.
19:10And come back and win the PGA tournament last night.
19:13I mean, two days ago.
19:15Icing on the cake.
19:16Because, for me, the two greatest sportsmen.
19:20You know, if you say who contributed to a sport.
19:23And who changed the level of a sport.
19:25One was Muhammad Ali.
19:26In boxing.
19:28The other is Tiger Woods.
19:29Single-handedly to take golf.
19:31To make it a multi-billion dollar business.
19:35This man had an aura.
19:37Yes, there was the Nicholas.
19:39Yes, there was the Arnold Palmers.
19:41But for one man to take it to that level.
19:45You know, we had a Tendulkar in our sport.
19:47But in golf, to take it to that level.
19:50I think, more than Tiger Woods.
19:53The entire golfing fraternity.
19:56Was happier.
19:57The players who play with him.
19:58They were the happiest.
19:59Because they know the amount of bucks they're making today.
20:01It's thanks to him.
20:03So, they were the happiest when he won that tournament.
20:07I could see that in Justin Rose's interview.
20:09When he said it.
20:10I knew where he was coming from.
20:11Absolutely.
20:12I mean, thanks Ravi so much for your time.
20:14Pleasure.
20:15Just yesterday, after the hard work.
20:18Wishing you all the very best.
20:21We've got another series against West Indies coming up, as you said.
20:23In less than a week.
20:24So, all the best.
20:25And thanks once again.
20:26Thanks.
20:27And thanks for your support.
20:28For the sport.
20:29Because I've been reading your golf newspapers.
20:32The sporting coverage in that.
20:35Especially cricket.
20:36Is unbelievable.